Presentation of presenting magazine

Presentation Initial Ideas

Inspiration for photoshoot

These photos are all a huge inspiration to the sort of images i will take myself for my own product. My main story is about a female alternative/rock singer who's transforming into a more indie/electro style (softer genre) and therefore these photos reflect that with calmer lighting with a more feminine approach yet the edgy singers presence is still shown. The singers here that i've looked at are Ellie Goulding, Florence Welch (from Florence and The Machine), Hayley Williams (from Paramore) and Daisy Coburn (stage name - Daisy Dares You) all stem from the alternative music scene and therefore portray the ambience i wish to come across in my own photographs. Here the artists are all dressed in up to date fashion pieces which show they are current and popular, as well as being an inspiration to young women who look up to them as idols. Some of the images are also quite casual which allows an audience to feel as though they are getting a real insight into the artist, so i will try to link this idea into my final images.

Timeline for photoshoot

Main Images Timeline

Finalised ideas (written)

After receiving a lot of feedback from the questionnaires i distributed and analysing each initial idea closely to find it's positive features and drawbacks, i was able to come to a conclusion and finalised decision about the ideas for my products. This will enable me to create the best possible music magazine for my target audience.

Main Story For My Magazine:

 I found it hard to choose my main storyline due to feeling that all of them had potential to be approved of by my target audience, but after looking at photo inspiration from female indie music artists of the present day, i felt as though "Indie Electro - Out Of The Box" would be the most relevant and up to date with the modern times. I also knew the perfect model who would fit the brief for photographs relating to this storyline (my friend Anna) due to her indie dress sense and hair. This was the most popular answer from the poll i posted and therefore i feel the audience will enjoy reading about it.
Due to storyline being about someone breaking free from a stereotype, this can also encourage readers to be different and stand up for themselves. This could inspire and influence many teenagers and young adults and therefore i feel it would be both intelligent and motivational.


Magazine Title:

My magazine title i've chosen is "Soundcheck" which was the one i felt most passionate about from the beginning when drawing up a long list of potential names. It was again the most popular vote from my questionnaire and this gives me confidence in that it will be effective.
The name immediately shows the magazine is linked to music, and (a soundcheck) is a vital part of any live performance. By being linked to live music, this could denotate how the articles within the product will be stripped down and honest (just like live music), allowing readers a real insight into who they are reading about. It is also unlike any other magazine title in the music industry at the time which will make it stand out from competitors and be something completely new for the audience to be excited about.


Colour Schemes:

The generic music magazine colour scheme is that of black, white and red. I wanted to keep linked with this theme in order to create an instantly recognised musical product, but i also wanted to add my own twist and did this by adding in the colour blue alongside the conventional red, white and black.
This colour scheme is both sophisticated and vibrant, allowing the older range of my target audience to be interested as well as the younger one. The black and white allows simplicity whilst the blocks of colour make it more aesthetically pleasing and interesting for the readers.


Magazine Front Cover Design:

I decided to choose design 1 here, which was the most popular from the poll and also my favourite design. By allowing a medium shot to take the cover of my model, this provides both intimacy with the reader, due to being able to see clearly the facial expression of the artist and make eye contact as well as showing off fashion through the clothes she is wearing. This can portray that the artist is simply just a human being, like the audience, but is a role model to many and can influence them greatly through her looks, fashion and music. The clothes the model will wear should not outshine the fonts and features used, and therefore i will use subtle styling and make the artist stand out in a less obvious way (this could be using props such as glasses).


Magazine Contents Design:

I have chosen to develop my 3rd sketch for this design as i felt this was the most sophisticated approach and linked in the best with the front cover and double page spread layouts. The design is clear, easy to read and will include photos of both live performances and specific photo shoots of bands. The colour scheme will continue throughout alongside the use of banners so that continuity is visibly present.


Magazine Double Page Spread Design:

 This was the design i felt most strongly towards out of the three final products i will produce. I decided to use sketch 1 for this product as there is an appropriate mix of both images and text. The style of the page with banners creating a box shape provides a framing to the pages, and the arrow shaped pug points to the title, immediately drawing attention there. I haven't seen the use of translucent shapes in any modern day music magazine and i therefore feel this will challenge conventions and provide something new for the readers.

Second questionnaire results

After seeing the success of responses from my first questionnaire i decided to make another to find out my target audience's feelings towards some of my initial intended ideas. Due to not having as much time to receive results, the amount of votes i received was not as high as the first questionnaire and therefore i cannot take that the given figures represent all of my target audience's opinion. However this can help influence me in deciding what my final ideas should be.

1. The name "Soundcheck" proved most popular, and this was my favourite as well. Due to it's links to live music and professional sound, this will be an ideal headline for my front cover and should stand out from competitors due to being so different from anything else on the current market.

2. The storyline "Indie Electro - Out of the box" received the highest votes here, and could prove to be an interesting storyline. I would need to use bright coloured clothing within the photography of the model in order to easily portray the music genre. I already have in mind a model for this storyline, and i will need to think of effective locations to link in and look interesting for the reader.

3. The last colour scheme of "black, white, red and blue" won the vote here which made me feel as though the audience want something new that hasn't been done before (the generic colour scheme of music magazines being black, white and red). By using other colours this will make my product stand out from other competitors.

4. Jimthorpe proved to be the most popular, and i feel it's quirky appearance will be perfect for my products. With payday coming in second place, i feel as though this could be effective with use in taglines and storylines text within different articles and sections for variety.


5. Sketch 1 was my immediate favourite and this has also been a similar opinion of those who took my questionnaire. I will use this with my final product due to image being central and a main focal point of the cover whilst the text highlights different articles and "shows off" what the magazine has in store for readers.


6. Sketch 3 proved to be most popular here, and although this wasn't my initial favourite, after receiving the vote and re-evaluating each design i see that this could be the most effective of the bunch. The "savings" advertisement within this sketch will also be an important aspect due to this showing the audience that they can save money and are getting more for what they are paying. This makes them feel as though the magazine is a necessity due to it's cheap pricing (linking to maslow's hierachy of needs)

7. Finally the sketch 1 for the double page spread proved to be most popular, which was also my top choice. The large image of the model will be attractive for the reader whilst the interview will be light hearted and fun, being easy to read by the audience. The use of polaroids down the side will also add variety for the images on the page.

Second questionnaire

After finding some information out about those within my target audience i can now ask them what they think of my initial ideas to see which ones prove popular within those who will be buying my product. This should essentially show to me which ideas would be the most effective in gaining sales and being the most appropriate for readers. Like the previous questionnaire, i will post these questions along the side of my blog so those within my target audience will know where they are and can be easily accessible.

The questions i will include are:

1. Which name do you like the best?
    - Soundcheck
    - Bassline
    - Lights
    - Amplified
    - Staged

2. Which main storyline idea do you like the most?
    - 1. New Kids On The Block
    - 2. Indie Electro - Out Of The Box
    - 3. Back On Track
    - 4. Leaving The Scene - Last Message

3. Which colour scheme do you think would be the most effective?
    - Black/White/Red
    - Black/White/Yellow
    - White/Blue/Yellow
    - Black/White/Red/Blue

4. Which font do you like the best?
   - Jimthorpe
   - Payday
   - Dirty Play
   - Network vampires

5. Which sketch do you feel would work best for the front page?
   - Sketch 1
   - Sketch 2
   - Sketch 3

6. Which sketch do you feel would work best for the contents page?
   - Sketch 1
   - Sketch 2
   - Sketch 3

7. Which sketch do you feel would work best for the double page spread?
   - Sketch 1
   - Sketch 2
   - Sketch 3

Drawn designs for double page spreads

1:
This is a clever design due to the half border on the left hand side and bottom of the spread (these will be coloured). A quote will be given in the bottom border. This can enhance the use of different colours throughout the page without being overpowering. The main image will take over the majority of the left hand side of the page and will be the main focal point due to conventionally people reading from left to right. The arrow pug in the left hand top corner will point towards the headline to draw attention to it, whilst almost looking post-it note like and adding layers to the  page. As well as an article, polaroid images will run down the right hand side to add variety of imagery and a note from the artist adds a personal touch.

2:
In this design the masthead is in the top left hand corner (similar to the generic front page design) and could allow continuity depending on which front cover design i choose. A series of images then runs across horizontally which could show different attitudes of the model and allow the reader to see all the different sides of the artist. Images are also given in the bottom right hand corner, almost "boxing" in the article in the bottom left which is shown in three columns linking to a newspaper design and adding a sophisticated element.

3:
Here in my final sketch, the entire left hand side is dominated by a main image. This is partly covered by a list of upcoming gigs of the band shown to self-promote and let the audience know when they can see their favourite band performing live. The article is given on the right next to another image and a quote takes up a large space in order to give the audience an inital idea of what the tone of the interview is without even reading it.